Page 36 - August/September 2007 The Game

HYPERBARIC CHAMBERS CURE MORE THAN THE BENDS
If hyperbaric oxygen chambers have ever crossed your mental radar, it was probably in reference to saving scuba divers who developed “the bends”, a painful and potentially fatal condition in which nitrogen bubbles build up in the bloodstream upon their return to the surface after a deep dive. The standard treatment for “the bends” (or decompres- sion syndrome) is to spend some time in a sealed chamber which exposes the body to increased atmospheric pressure. This
has the effect of increasing the level of oxygen in the blood and plasma – oxygen which is even more readily utilized by the body than the oxygen normally carried by hemoglobin in the red blood cells.
Of course, a hyperbaric chamber isn’t an inexpensive toy, so it’s little wonder that medical science soon began to investigate whether it could have other health benefits, over and above the infrequent task of rescuing imprudent folks in wetsuits. It was suspected that,
since oxygen is an essential element in healing, oxygen- saturated tissues might experience accelerated healing.
At normal atmospheric pressure, there is a natural limit to the amount of oxygen red blood cells can carry, but at increased pressure, that limit increases, as does the ability of blood plasma to absorb and carry the all-important molecule.
Not every application of hyperbaric oxygen panned out as an improvement,
but it has proven useful in treating stubborn anaerobic infections, gas gangrene, carbon monoxide poisoning, burn injuries, necrotizing fasciitis (flesh-eating disease), post-polio syndrome, and even certain kinds of poisonous spider bites.
Equine Health
by Karen Briggs
Dave Landry Photo
The potential was obvious enough that it was only a matter of time before someone built a hyperbaric chamber large enough to accommodate a horse – and that company, interestingly enough, was Equinox Technologies,
HEALTHY
LUNGS A MUST!
Feeding Airways 101 daily may reduce or eliminate many respiratory problems such as lung bleeding, heaves or wheezing, stable cough and common allergies.
“I am using the Airways 101 on bleeders and horses with allergies. The results are great. I will be putting more of my horses on Airways 101.”
- Casie Coleman
based in Maple Ridge, BC. Today Equinox and a few other companies, including Equine Oxygen Therapy in Kentucky, have sold a healthy handful of hyper- baric oxygen chambers to veterinarians, rehab facilities, and even a few, very well-heeled private farms, across North America. They come in models from foal-sized-only, to massive mobile units which look like something from NASA on the outside, and not that different from a luxury two-horse trailer on the inside. (Some permanent installations currently in development will feature a round “box stall” in which the horse will be turned loose to find the comfortable
position of his choice.)
The patient is loaded into the chamber, which is then sealed and the air pressure slowly increased. When it reaches the prescribed pressure (usually between 1.5 and three atmospheres), 100% oxygen is pumped in to replace the air. That’s it. An average session is 30 to 90 minutes, and can be repeated daily, or even twice- daily, for acute cases, and gradually reduced to one HBOT (hyperbaric oxygen therapy) exposure every two or three days, then twice weekly, once weekly, and so
on.
Although large case
studies on horses are still a bit thin on the ground, the anecdotal evidence supporting the use of hyper- baric chambers is mounting. What’s it good for? For one thing, re-establishing healthy blood flow to the intestinal tissues in post-surgical colic
For further information or a dealer near you contact: McIntosh Pro Line Products, Inc. toll free: 1-877-825-7325 McIntosh Pro Line, advancing health ... naturally | McIntoshProLine.com
36 The Game, August/September 2007 Canada’s Thoroughbred Racing Newspaper